What will it take for the electric car to become practical and economically feasible for the masses?
Neal Ungerleider provides a dispatch from the recent revealing of the new Tesla X to make a point about the mainstreaming of electric cars into American culture: "Tesla, and to a far lesser extent other high-end fully-electric cars like the BMW i3 and Mercedes-Benz electric B, are the standard-bearers for electric cars in the mass consciousness, writes Ungerleider. "But the future doesn’t belong to Tesla…. It belongs to far cheaper, mass-market electric cars like the Nissan Leaf and Ford Focus."
Although electric cars are currently only available to affluent consumers, and only feasible along heavily traveled routes, that gap could be closing. So, for instance, "Sources at the Kelley Blue Book, a car pricing guide, told Fast Company that prices for electric vehicles declined 9.7% compared to 2014, while prices for cars in general had actually increased 1.2%."
According to Ungerleider's argument, the marketing campaign connected to the crossover appeal of the new Model X, might soon get an extra push from global economic events that lead to a rise in oil prices. That might be all it takes for electric cars to finally, fully enter the mainstream.
FULL STORY: TESLA'S MODEL X AND THE MAINSTREAMING OF THE ELECTRIC CAR
Oregon Passes Exemption to Urban Growth Boundary
Cities have a one-time chance to acquire new land for development in a bid to increase housing supply and affordability.
Where Urban Design Is Headed in 2024
A forecast of likely trends in urban design and architecture.
Savannah: A City of Planning Contrasts
From a human-scales, plaza-anchored grid to suburban sprawl, the oldest planned city in the United States has seen wildly different development patterns.
Washington Tribes Receive Resilience Funding
The 28 grants support projects including relocation efforts as coastal communities face the growing impacts of climate change.
Adaptive Reuse Bills Introduced in California Assembly
The legislation would expand eligibility for economic incentives and let cities loosen regulations to allow for more building conversions.
LA's Top Parks, Ranked
TimeOut just released its list of the top 26 parks in the L.A. area, which is home to some of the best green spaces around.
City of Rochester
Boston Harbor Now
City of Bellevue
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Mpact Transit + Community
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
City of Birmingham, Alabama
City of Laramie, Wyoming
Colorado Department of Local Affairs
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.